Chef Adrianne's Vineyard is in a class of its own for Kendall. It is truly fine dining in an…read moreelegant, but not overly opulent setting that is absolutely perfect for those special occasions when you seek a perfect experience, whether it be for a celebration or a quiet evening out with family, friends, or someone special whom you love. Admittedly I have only been here a couple of times, but they wow me each and every visit. And with all of the choices in Miami, that is not easy to do.
Tonight we came by to celebrate a career milestone. Just me, my wife, and my very well behaved service animal, who reluctantly stayed under the table where she is supposed to be despite the temptation of all the wonderful smells in the room.
Huge call out to our waitress Amanda. What a superstar. She made us feel important every second of the meal. Her service was perfect, but her attitude and her smile represented the restaurant well. She is an asset that I hope that they treasure as much as we did.
Being Miami Spice time, I ordered from that menu and chose the reserve menu's crispy spicy tuna, appetizer, ribeye steak, and Belgian chocolate brownie. My wife chose the pasta Bolognese. I also ordered the Parker house pull apart bread and a potato since the full course meal did not seem to come with a side which I found strange.
The appetizer was mouthwatering good. The Belgian chocolate brownie was exceptional. However, I would be disingenuous if I said that I chose wisely with the main course. Being a 16 ounce steak, it was sliced relatively thin as expected, but what they refer to as an "au jus" seem to have the taste of a reduction and literally drowned out the flavor of the meat. It did appear to be cooked perfectly, but having had the exceptional filet mignon here I would be more likely to choose that again next time.
It also came with a glass of wine, which they graciously upgraded for me based on my tastes, which really smooth out the meal for me.
I always enjoy the bread here and the loaded baked potato was quite a sight to see and was so large. I took home half of it.
Interestingly, the highlight of the meal may have been the Papardelle Bolognese. This was a very generous order of what is probably the best Bolognese pasta dish I have ever eaten. My wife has a small appetite, so I was happy to help her out. I was also happy that enough was left that I had it for lunch the next day and liked it just as much. So if this is something you like, do not skip right past it on the menu. It is superb.
The only other criticism I have is that they do have a posted dress code, which is not particularly restrictive, but does help to maintain the ambience of elegance. Part of that is no ball caps. I understand they do not want to embarrass patrons by asking them to remove their ball caps, but the table sitting next to us had two men wearing them. It does take away from the vibe, so when you visi, even if the restaurant staff is not going to embarrass you and ask you to remove them, please try to observe these very easy to follow guidelines so that we may all have that wonderful fine dining experience.
And si, despite the fact that I was not completely thrilled with my steak, in all honesty I cannot give this restaurant anything less than five stars. Yes in the end it's all about the food, but this was really not a case of the food not being good, it just was not served in a way that I like it. I will still be back and most likely will order the filet mignon or the short rib, which is what I've had on prior visits and both were exceptional. Or perhaps that wonderful Bolognese.
I love this place and highly recommend it.
